Quad Cities Campus

MAP 2+2 Pilot Program

For those who have been admitted into Western Illinois University’s Linkage Program with Black Hawk College or Carl Sandburg College and are eligible for the Monetary Award Program (MAP) grant, there are potentially additional grant benefits available.

Program Overview

The MAP 2+2 Pilot program is designed to complement Western Illinois University’s Linkage program with participating colleges, Black Hawk College and Carl Sandburg College. Students are admitted to a baccalaureate degree program at WIU but attend one of our participating community college receiving an associate degree. Students must be enrolled each semester in at least one course at WIU while working toward their associate degree. Each participating college has an articulation agreement with WIU to assist the eligible student in completing their associate degree in 2 years and their baccalaureate degree in a total of four years.

While the student is attending the community college, the MAP grant is calculated using the WIU MAP budget. Since the MAP grant is calculated using WIU costs the calculated MAP may exceed the community college tuition and fees. When the MAP calculated award exceeds the community college tuition and fees, the difference is saved and can be used while attending WIU during the final two years. An additional benefit is increased eligibility for the MAP grant while attending the community college, because the MAP award is determined using the WIU cost of attendance. In many cases, the MAP award covers full tuition and mandatory fees at the community college.

Eligibility

To be eligible for MAP 2+2, a student must:

have been accepted at the WIU and a participating community college.

be MAP eligible and their applications must not be in a suspended status.

be continuously enrolled full-time and in sufficient hours to graduate in four years (an average of 15 hours per term).

continue enrollment with the two schools originally chosen and cannot receive the benefit of the “saved” MAP if he/she attends a baccalaureate degree granting school that was not part of the original agreement after completing the first two years.

Additionally:

If after the first 2 years, the student does not meet the eligibility requirements to matriculate to WIU , he/she is no longer eligible to participate in the MAP 2+2 pilot.

Students’ eligibility will be impacted by all the normal activities in MAP e.g. suspense, shutdown, release, late claims (if applicable), etc.